Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has lauded Tottenham counterpart Harry Redknapp for his success at White Hart Lane and is looking forward to congratulating his friend in person after seeing the two clubs paired together in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Madrid completed a 4-1 aggregate victory over Lyon on Wednesday to progress to the last eight of the competition for the first time in seven years, and their reward in today's draw was a clash with Spurs.

Mourinho, who had hoped to avoid former clubs Inter Milan and Chelsea, said of the draw: "I'm very happy to play them, not because I think it's going to be easy - because I don't think it will be - but because I get to go back to London, to an English stadium and I get to see Harry and I can congratulate him for the great job he's done."

The Portuguese, who won six trophies in a three-year spell in charge of Chelsea, added: "I left England in 2007/8 and Spurs were not in the UEFA Cup, they were not even finishing in the first six of the Premier League.

"Martin Jol started the good work and Harry has continued it in amazing ways. I'm so happy for that. He's a friend, one of the few really good friends I made in England."

The match pits nine-time European champions Madrid against a Spurs side who are playing in the competition for the first time, but who have impressed hugely so far.

In the group stages, Spurs finished top of Group A, beating defending European champions Inter Milan at home in the process, and then in the last 16 they knocked out Inter's city rivals AC.

Mourinho said: "What they've done is brilliant. They beat Inter, then they played the team who have won the European Cup the second highest number of times, AC Milan, and now they play Real Madrid, the champion of champions, who have won nine European Cups.

"It will be difficult. I know the mentality of the English teams, the way they play at home, and the character they have of playing with all their heart in every minute of every game. They have beaten Inter, knocked out Milan and are having a very good Premier League season."

Mourinho also preferred not to look ahead to a possible semi-final showdown with Madrid's arch-rivals Barcelona.

"The possibility of a Madrid-Barca semi-final is the same as a Tottenham-Shakhtar one. It's not worth talking about a semi-final when you don't know what teams are going to be there," added Mourinho, who is looking to become the first coach to conquer Europe with three different clubs.